Chipping Campden

Snowshill Manor

Hidcote Manor

Castle Combe

A taxi driver in Bath recommended stopping in this isolated town on our way to the Cotswolds. The movie "Stardust" was filmed here last year. According to the locals, just about all that was needed was some dirt to cover the pavement to create the period piece.

More & Better to Come

Posts about our hotels have been relatively easy to do, so that's what I've ended up doing instead of writing about our far more interesting destinations. I hope to have more time tomorrow night to start publishing posts about those. One of our more remarkable experiences was meeting this man in front of the Sandpiper Inn in Leyburn. He kindly invited us to view his private gardens in Richmond the next morning. (Click on links for more)

Fischer's Baslow Hall

Although I forgot to take pictures of it, the Hilton York was in a prime location, right across from York Castle. That made it very easy for mom to get around downtown as well. (If I had to do it over again, I'd select more close-in accommodations enabling more early evening window-shopping/wandering around.

Fischer's Baslow Hall near Bakewell in the Peak District was certainly accommodating. They were definitely the most prepared (and solicitous) thus far for any eventuality with regard to mom's ability to get around. Their keys were exceedingly large and heavy, and obviously designed to prevent guests forgetting to turn them in. They were the only hotel we stayed in thus far to have no way of making coffee or tea in the room. Morning coffee cost £2 additional. A daily newspaper was an extra £1+ as well.

Linthwaite House

After three marvelous days in our self-catering unit in Whitchurch, it was on to Linthwaite House, overlooking WIndermere in the Lake District. It rained most of the time we were there. The views from the hotel were marvelous. The major construction going on right outside mom's door (the hotel is adding 5 new rooms and expanding the kitchen) was a mild irritant.

Strange & Stranger

I received a mystifying telephone message (as well as an email) from Alamo/National advising me that our car has been sold and asking me to call them and let them know where in the UK we are. The email promises me that they will deliver another at no inconvenience to us, but when I called as requested they told me to take the car to the York franchise (open only 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.). We weren't planning to stick around the city center tomorrow. On the other hand, it might be just as well to get the inevitable paperwork about the broken sideview mirror out of the way now as opposed to next week at Gatwick when we'll be wanting to catch the train into London to catch the train to Paris. Still, this seems very weird to me.

Combermere Abbey

While in Shropshire, we stayed at the Stone Lodge at Combermere Abbey in Whitchurch. As mom enjoyed the series "To the Manor Born," I figured she would love this 2-bedroom former gatekeeper's cottage. I was right. She didn't want to leave.




The main house (not open to the public), over a mile down the road from our cottage, is undergoing some restoration. The facade is Victorian gothic, but a few pictures on the website show parts dating back to its days as an abbey before Henry VIII sold it off.



These former stables have been converted into vacation flats. I thought they were more architecturally interesting than the main house.

The Malt House

We stayed three nights at The Malt House in Broad Campden, a superb B&B in the Cotwolds run by the delightful Judi Wilkes, who is also a great cook and gardener extraordinaire.

Scissors Arches

I wrote a nice post about these shots of Wells Cathedral yesterday, but attempted to publish it when Blogger went on a scheduled outage, thereby losing the text and one of the photos. I was going to reconstruct it tonight, but I see Blogger has another scheduled outage coming up momentarily so I'll just post the photos. The scissors arches were magnificent. Google Wells Cathedral & scissors arches to learn why they are so special. (Wells itself was very special, too - we were there on market day)

Paradise in Bath

While the entrance was nice enough, nothing could prepare us for what we found behind the door to the Paradise House in Bath:



The gardens were first laid out almost 400 years ago, and are indicated on the original deed displayed in the entry. Most of the street was destroyed by bombing during World War II, but Paradise House and the tiny church next to it were spared. Everyone who worked at this hotel was friendly and helpful. The cook-to-order breakfasts were outstanding.

Leaving Devon

From Lynton looking down towards Lynmouth. We took a neat cable-car powered by water down to Lynmouth. (Photos didn't come out - will look for link later)

Overlooking the Bristol Channel from Exmoor, somewhere between Lynmouth and Porlock.

We ran across this small car museum in Porlock. The owner was quite a character. (All the cars are his.)

Porlock was a picturesque village in the middle of nowhere, a fact which inspired the author of "Lorna Doone," who lived there.

Dinner Blogging

Inspired by Nina Camic I was planned to photoblog some of our outstanding meals, but usually forgot. These shots were taken in the pub at Brown's Hotel in Tavistock, Devon. (The appetizers are the last two - I uploaded them out of order.) The meal was exquisite. I'll find a link later and post it, but Brown's is an a centuries-old coaching inn site and Tavistock had a delightful Victorian high street.